Beverly Browder's Obituary
Beverly Cook Browder, of Winnsboro, South Carolina, passed away on Friday, May 11, 2012. She was preceded in death by her father, Hugh Otis Cook and her mother, Florence Taylor Cook, a daughter, Leigh Ellen da Ponte and a son, Graham Hugh Durant da Ponte. She is survived by her husband William Lee Browder of Winnsboro, SC, her daughters, Lyndall da Ponte Baack of Germantown, TN, Lisa Browder Gilbreath of Memphis, TN, Katharine Browder (Peter Federman) of Salt Lake City, UT, Laura Browder Shelton (Greg Klingler) of Hermitage, TN and Ann Julia Browder (Susan Parker) of Asheville, NC and a son, David da Ponte (Frank Cooper) of Memphis, TN. She leaves grandchildren to cherish her memory, Christine Baack, Alex da Ponte-Baack, Taylor da Ponte, Shelby Gilbreath and Ian da Ponte Cooper of Memphis, TN and Amanda Rocha of Boston, MA, a great grandson, Randall Boyer of Memphis, TN and a great granddaughter, Savannah Rocha of Boston, MA. She also leaves a sister whom she dearly loved, Joy Cook Dawson of Dayton, OH. Beverly will be remembered for her beautiful singing voice. While living in Memphis, Tennessee she performed with the Gary Beard Chorale and with several area church choirs throughout her life. She was a past president of The Guild of Opera Memphis and served as a docent at The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. She loved to cook and served as sous chef to Chef Joseph Cary of the Memphis Culinary Academy for many years. Always the gracious hostess; she loved to open her home to visitors, no one was a stranger in the Browder home, it was always filled with food, drink, warmth, the sounds of laughter and the joy of being alive and together, a happy place indeed. While living in Memphis Beverly and Bill traveled the world — Europe, Asia, cruises. In the 1990s they decided to live full time in Key West, Florida, they enjoyed a life there that was carefree and filled with fun, living on a tropical island was wonderful and they lived their lives to the fullest. The new millennium brought a wanderlust that took them to Winnsboro, South Carolina. They found a 1860s Winnsboro home that seemed to need their care, they loved old homes and restoring them. In Winnsboro, Beverly and Bill found a friendly town that opened it’s hearts and arms to them. They immediately felt at home; they loved being there. A frequent and sought after soloist at many local churches, Beverly loved to sing and Winnsboro was happy for her to do it. A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, May 14, 2012 at 10:30am at St John’s Episcopal Church in Winnsboro, South Carolina followed in Memphis, Tennessee by a Visitation at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Friday, May 18, 2012 from 4:30pm until 7:00pm with a Rosary at 7pm in the Chapel there. A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30am on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at St Mary’s Catholic Church. A graveside service will follow at Forest Hill Cemetery- Midtown. Pope Funeral Home in Winnsboro, South Carolina and Memorial Park Funeral Home in Memphis, Tennessee will handle the arrangements. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, (901)767-8930, “Behind the Stone Wall”.
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